


Epifanía

by l10nelmessi



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:09:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3996664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l10nelmessi/pseuds/l10nelmessi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>David can't stop thinking about the kid. He knows that it's bad. He knows he needs to stop. But he can't get him out of his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> high school student/teacher au. i started writing this for a prompt at fbk2, but i never finished it. continuing it here.

"Guys, come on, I know it's a Monday and you're tired but can we concentrate, please? We only have to take up two more equations."  
  
"But  _sir,"_  Ramos whines from the back of the room. "We only have, like, two more minutes left of class. We can't get anything done."  
  
"You have twenty," Mr Villa says flatly, and everyone laughs. Leo smirks and shakes his head. "And Sergio, since you're so concerned about getting things done, why don't you go up to the board and answer question four?"  
  
The other kids make loud noises and tease him, but Ramos just laughs. He may act like a moron, but he's a lot smarter than everyone gives him credit for - he probably has the question done perfectly.  
  
When they're done correcting everything, Mr Villa assigns them a few questions to do for homework. Everyone groans and Leo lets out a quiet sigh - he's already drowning in work and projects and studying for tests. But math is easy for him, so he pulls his textbook closer and starts working on question one.  
  
He's on question ten when he hits a spot in the equation that he can't figure out. Maybe it's because it's first period and Leo's tired and he can't think properly, but he just can't seem to come up with the right formula. He hesitates before he raises his hand, looks up to the front of the room where Mr Villa's helping Pedro with a problem. Leo bites his lip, watching the way he moves, watching the muscles in his arm when he takes Pedro's pencil and writes something down for him.  
  
Every school has one, Leo thinks. A  _hot teacher._  The ones who make your breath hitch and your words come stuttering out of your mouth. Mr Villa just happens to be the one at Leo's school, and Leo has a hard time concentrating sometimes. Like today.  
  
Today, Mr Villa is wearing black pants with a black leather belt, his white button-up shirt tucked in, his red tie hanging down just to his belt buckle. He has the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows, so that Leo can see the contrast between the white of the shirt and the tan of his skin so clearly that it's almost painful that he can't touch him.  
  
"Leo?" Mr Villa says, smiling and coming over to his desk. Leo jumps a little.  
  
"Uh, sir?"  
  
"You had your hand up."  
  
"Right." Leo wants to punch himself in the face for being so awkward. "Um, I was just wondering, for this part in question ten..."  
  
Mr Villa comes behind him and leans over him a little, his hand on the table to keep him balanced. Leo knows he should be listening to Mr Villa as he talks, but he can't help but zone out a little, concentrating instead on how good Mr Villa smells from up close like this, how his hand on the desk is so close to Leo's that if he reached out his fingers he could brush the soft skin there.  
  
"Are we good?" Mr Villa asks, and Leo startles again.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I think so. Thanks."  
  
"If you need extra help, you can come after school," Mr Villa offers. "I'm usually here for about an hour."  
  
"Okay, I'll let you know if I do." Mr Villa smiles at him and walks over to someone else's desk, and Leo thinks that it would probably be a good idea not to be alone with Mr Villa, because he'd most likely die of longing.

 

+

 

"Hey, Leo. Hey, Ger." Cesc says, dropping his bag on the ground and hopping up on the stool next to Leo's in the science lab.  
  
"Do you have food?" Geri asks, scrunching up his nose and putting a hand on his stomach. "I'm so fucking hungry, seriously. I didn't eat all day."  
  
"You ate my entire lunch second period," Leo points out. Cesc laughs and Geri pushes him.  
  
"I'm a growing boy, Leo, I need food. Cesc, do you have any?"  
  
"Yeah," Cesc says, and even though they're not allowed to eat in the lab and lunch is next period he pulls out a sandwich and splits in into three.  
  
"What's in here?" Geri asks, his mouth full with sandwich, and Leo rolls his eyes.  
  
"Peanut butter and Nutella," Cesc says, biting into his third.  
  
"This tastes amazing. I bet if Jesus Christ was a flavour, it would taste like this."  
  
"That doesn't even make sense," Leo mutters from between them. Geri elbows him and Leo elbows him back.  
  
"What's up with you?" Geri asks.  
  
"My math teacher is so hot," Leo groans, putting his head down on the table. "I want to die."  
  
"Who do you have again? Villa?" Cesc asks. Leo nods and eats the rest of the sandwich, and Cesc pats his head sympathetically. The bell rings for class to begin. "What do you have in math?"  
  
"Eighty-nine percent," Leo mutters. Geri lets out a low whistle.  
  
"Damn. That's really good, dude. If I took math this year I'd be so fu-"  
  
"Boys!" Mr Hernandez calls from the front of the room to their table at the back. "Is that food I see?"  
  
Leo looks around. He'd finished his part of the sandwich but Cesc still has half of his piece in his hand. Leo watches him shove it in his mouth and answer Mr Hernandez with his mouth full. "No, sir. There's no food in my mouf."  
  
Mr Hernandez looks disgusted. Leo tries so hard not to laugh that his eyes water, but Geri doesn't even try - he lets out a loud burst of laughter, throwing his head back and everything. Mr Hernandez narrows his eyes.  
  
"Fabregas, you're not doing the lab today." Cesc starts to protest but Mr Hernandez shakes his head. "You've eaten five times in the lab in the past two weeks! Remember what happened last time you dropped a chip in your sodium hydroxide?"  
  
"Not really, sir." Cesc isn't trying to have attitude - he genuinely doesn't remember.  
  
"Well, first your stuck your hands in it and you got a chemical burn. Then you tried to eat the chip again, because you forgot about the sodium hydroxide and you thought it was water and-"  
  
"Thank you for the summary, Messi."  
  
"Sorry, sir."  
  
Geri snorts with laughter and Leo kicks him under the table. Cesc isn't that upset about not doing the lab - in fact, Geri's more upset than Cesc is, because it's usually Geri who's doing nothing, and today he has to do work. Leo does the actual measuring and mixing of chemicals - because he doesn't trust Gerard with that, no way - and Geri writes everything down for him. Cesc watches and (to no one's surprise) pulls a doughnut from his bag and starts eating it.  
  
"If I'm not doing the actual work, I might as well enjoy myself," Cesc says, spraying crumbs unceremoniously over the table. Leo laughs at him and shakes his head.  
  
"But yeah, about earlier. Villa is pretty hot," Geri says, writing  _there were bubbles and it was blue_  as his observation for the experiment. Leo rolls his eyes at his lack of detail.  
  
"He is," he agrees. "If he weren't a teacher I'd want to have so much sex with him."  
  
"I think the teacher thing works for him," Cesc says. "Oh my God, imagine having sex in his office, right on top of his desk-"  
  
"Fabregas!" Mr Hernandez barks - he'd overheard Cesc, but not Leo. Leo and Geri have to duck their heads to hide their grins. "That is completely inappropriate! And - is that a doughnut?"  
  
"No, sir, it most certainly is not, and I can assure you you will never see it again."  
  
"Fabregas-"  
  
The bell rings and Cesc grabs his bag, whispers "see you at lunch" to Leo and sprints out of the classroom before Mr Hernandez has time to strangle him. Geri has to lean on the table because he's laughing so hard, and Leo tries his hardest not to smile as Mr Hernandez shakes his head at them and walks over to his desk.  
  
Leo and Geri clean up and head to lunch, and Leo zones out while Geri talks, and he thinks he can still smell Mr Villa's cologne.

 

+

 

David can't stop thinking about the kid. He knows that it's bad. He knows he needs to stop. But he can't get him out of his head.

He catches himself staring at the boy more often than he'd like to admit. He sees his hair fall into his eyes and wishes he could brush it back for him. He smiles at every little movement that Leo makes, at the way he scrunches up his nose or at how he puts his head down and naps on the desk when he's done all his work. He sees the way that Leo sucks his lower lip into his mouth when he's thinking hard, and David surprises himself when he finds himself thinking that he'd really like Leo to suck David's lip into his mouth just like that.

But he can't do anything to the boy, he can't even touch him, can't so much as look at him funny. Because Leo is seventeen and he's a student, David's student, and David is his teacher and he's not seventeen anymore and - it's not right. It's not.

That's not what he thinks when he's alone in the shower, leaned up against the wall, hand wrapped tight around himself, though. No, then, he thinks it's just perfect.

David thinks he likes Leo so much because he sort of reminds him of himself at seventeen, but nicer. Leo is determined and smart, headstrong but in a quiet way. While David was always looking for a fight when he was his age, Leo has his friends and leaves the people he doesn't like alone. His eyes are soft and his skin looks soft, too, and David wants to feel it with his lips sometimes.

"What do you think of Leo?" He asks Xavi one day. It's third period and they both have a prep, spare time to mark or lesson-plan or whatever. Xavi and David both think ahead, do things ahead of time (Xavi more than David, much more, he's so anal about everything), so they have the period off. They're sitting in David's classroom, David in the leather-backed chair behind his desk, Xavi sitting opposite him on one of the students' desks.

"Messi?" Xavi shrugs. "He's in my chem, fifth period. Good kid, works hard. Has... _interesting_  friends."

David laughs. "Interesting how?"

"Do you know Cesc? Cesc Fabregas?"

David briefly thinks back to when a boy with messy dark brown hair had tripped into his room, asking for Leo and saying, "it's really important, sir, honestly it is." When David had asked Leo about it later, Leo rolled his eyes and told him that the kid needed a pen.

He nods at Xavi, smiling a little. Xavi scowls. "He's gonna get me fired, I swear, Villa. He's always eating in class, smelling things he shouldn't be smelling...he thought that the copper-two powder was Kool-Aid mix. Fucking Kool-Aid, Guaje. And-"

David's dying of laughter, but he finds the strength to hold up a hand. "Stop, stop," he says breathlessly. Xavi rolls his eyes.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you taught him. Anyway, why did you ask about Leo?"

David gets pretty serious pretty quick. "Uh, no reason. Just, he's smart, and. He's been, um, feeling sort of down lately," David invents wildly, "and I just wanted to know how he was doing."

"What, is he sick or something?" Xavi asks, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh.  _Bacteria_. _"_

"Get over yourself," David mutters. Xavi smiles over at him, like he knows he's being an asshole, which he probably does.

"Is that the only reason you asked?"

"Yeah," David says, giving Xavi a look. "Why did you think I asked?"

"I don't know," Xavi drawls, "maybe because the way you asked about him screamed 'I'm trying to be casual but in reality Xavi can see right through me'-"

"And tell me what you see, O Wise One," David says sarcastically. His stomach tightens.

"I see something that I don't want to see and that would ruin us both if I said it."

"Xavi-"

"Pine over whoever you want, Guaje," Xavi says, putting his hands up, palms facing David in a gesture of surrender. "Just don't act on it, that's all. Or you'll get booted out of here and I'll make you take Fabregas with you."

"I'm not gonna do anything," David says firmly, trying to convince himself and Xavi at the same time. "He's just a kid."

"That's all I'm saying."

"Okay."

 

+

 

David keeps touching him and he doesn't mean to, but he always makes excuses for himself and Leo doesn't seem to mind. 

"Come here, Leo, you have chalk dust on your sweater." "Hey, Leo, you have a bit of eraser in your hair." (Ramos' fault - he was throwing bits all over the place). "Good job, Leo, that's right." A hand on his shoulder, brushing against his back, and Leo leans into his touch and it's driving David insane.

He can tell by the way that Leo looks at him for answers or how eager he is to answer questions that he craves David's attention, his approval. David isn't letting his feelings for the kid influence his marks, because he isn't like that, he separates his work and other things into neat little sections in his head. But Leo is smart, he really is, and it's not David's fault that Leo's mark climbs slowly higher as the year goes by.

He likes Leo. A lot. More than he should. And he wants him, for more than just sex. He wants to kiss him and watch him fall asleep and be in the kitchen when he walks in in the morning, sleepy, and smiles at him.

He can't control himself around Leo anymore. David keeps touching him.

 

+

  

David kisses him by accident one day.

Leo comes to his room after school about two weeks after he'd offered. David thinks he doesn't need the help, he's handling the material pretty well so far, but Leo asks him to clear a couple of things up for him and David says sure. They sit at a table together, side by side but not too close. Leo's hair blocks his face sometimes but he tucks it behind his ear while he's working. David stares openly at him, and before he knows what he's doing his lips are brushing against Leo's cheek.

David pulls back as if he'd been burnt when he realises what he's done. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." But he's not, really. Leo blushes bright pink, lets his hair fall from behind his ear again. When he pushes it back, David thinks he sees Leo's fingers touch the spot where his lips had been.

"Oh. Um, it's okay, sir."

"It won't happen again," David promises. He thinks that Leo looks disappointed, but - no.

Then Leo turns to look at him, still blushing a little, and David can see the courage build in his eyes before he says, "are you sure?"

David's taken aback, a little, because Leo - the look in his eyes is - and he wants -

He shoves all that down. "I'm sure."

"Then I'm really sorry about this, sir." Leo leans forward and just barely touches his lips to David's and David, he can't even think, he can barely breathe, and he leans forward on instinct and Leo lets out a little whimper and  _God,_ the things he wants to do to him, right now in this classroom - 

"Leo," David breathes, pushing the boy away from him. Leo opens his eyes wide, his lips pinker than usual, blush still playing on his cheeks. He looks hurt and confused and scared. David feels guilty but - "I can't do this."

"You just did," Leo challenges. David fights the urge to smile. The kid's just like him, after all.

"You know what I mean. We'll both get in trouble."

Leo has no comeback this time. He just sits there, looks down at his pencil, runs a hand through his hair. "Then switch me out," he says finally.

"What?"

"Switch me out of this class."

"Leo, why would I do that?"

"Because I can't stand it anymore - sitting in here and seeing you every day, and - and I can't have you, and I can't stand it anymore. Switch me out to a different class." He looks over at David again, finally meets his eyes. "Please, sir."

"But you're doing so well here," David says, almost pleading. "You're smart, you shouldn't let me stop you from-"

"Sir, you're a really good teacher, probably the best one I've ever had." David smiles at him softly and Leo looks like he's in pain. "It's not you, it was never you. You never did anything wrong. It's just...I can't concentrate in here. Not after this."

"I've never noticed any issues with your grades, Leo, your concentration seems perfectly-"

All of a sudden, Leo shoves his chair back and gets up, pacing furiously in front of the table. David sits and watches him.

"This isn't about my grades!" He says, louder than David's heard him all year. "I understand the subject and the work, this isn't about anything like that-"

"Then what is it about, Leo?" David asks, challenging him, and Leo acts just like David thought he would. He leans over the table, takes David's tie in his hand and pulls him forward roughly, their lips meeting harder this time, more purposefully. Leo tugs on David's lip with his teeth, opens his mouth and uses more lips, more tongue, more more more and David aches with wanting him, and then Leo pulls away, lets go of his tie.

"It's about this."

"I'm not - I," David stutters, and Leo smirks. David curses himself for being so inarticulate. He can still feel Leo's lips on his. When he traces the inside of his lip with his tongue, he can feel teeth marks. He straightens his tie and sits up taller. "You're staying in this class, Leo, even if we can't do this - whatever it is."

"I'll go to the counsellor's office and switch out myself," Leo says defiantly. David opens his mouth to protest but Leo seems to see the fear in his eyes because his voice softens as he says, "I'm not going to tell anyone you kissed me, sir."

"You kissed me too," David says, crossing his arms. Leo throws his head back and laughs, and it hits David how stupid everything is and he laughs too, laughs and leans his forehead on the table.

When they calm down, he says, "I'm sorry. Really, I am. But you know that no one could teach you better than I could."

"I know that, Mr Villa, really. I was just...I'm just mad, that's all."

"It's David."

"I don't want to call you David unless we're - unless..." Leo trails off, blushing again. David laughs again.

"So are you going to the counsellor, still?"

"I don't think so, no."

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I want-"

"There you are, Leo!" That kid Fabregas and his tall, lanky friend - David can't remember his name, Gerardo Quique or something - burst into the room. The tall one is covered in dirt and wearing the school football uniform, but Fabregas is the one talking. "We looked for you everywhere, man. Hey, sir."

"Everything okay, boys?"

"Fine, sir, thanks," the tall one says. "Me and Cesc are, uh...gonna go wait by my car."

"But-" Cesc starts to protest, but his friend shoots him a look. "Yeah...Geri's car. Um, yeah. Bye!"

"Bye," Leo says, half-laughing. David shakes his head at how conspicuous they are.

"Do they know anything?"

"They think you're hot," Leo tells him, and David laughs out loud and shakes his head some more.

"Great. Just what I need."

"I should probably go now," Leo says slowly. David wants to ask him  _what do we do now_  and  _what happens tomorrow_ and he wants to ask him to kiss him again, but that's not fair. Leo is a boy, for God's sake, half David's age, and this shouldn't be happening to him.

So instead he says, "take care, alright?" And Leo says okay, and he gathers his stuff and leaves, and David presses his palms to his eyes and wonders what he's done.

 

+

 

They pile into Geri's Caliber. The car is pretty low and Leo wonders how Geri fits in there. After a brief tussle with Cesc, he wins the right to the front seat and gets in, buckles his seat belt.

"So what were you doing in there, huh? Did you make out?" Cesc asks, and Leo blushes as Geri reaches behind his seat to back up out of the parking spot. Leo doesn't say anything.

"Hello, Earth to Leo," Cesc says loudly, thinking Leo hadn't heard him. "You probably made out with him." 

Leo knows he's joking but given what just happened - he can't say anything. His stomach jumps and he feels dizzy.

Geri takes his eyes off the road at a stop sign and looks at him. "Dude," he whispers. Cesc gasps.

"Holy fuck, I was kidding! You didn't actually-"

"You little fucker," Geri laughs, ruffling his hair like  _congratulations_. Leo smiles and leans into his touch. "Leo, all you do is homework and play video games, you don't sleep with teachers-"

"I didn't sleep with him," Leo mutters, blushing again. "I just...we kissed."

"On the mouth?" Cesc asks. He's leaning over the center console, and Leo wants to tell him to put his seat belt on before he dies. Instead he just nods, and Cesc mutters, "fuck."

"We argued, though," Leo says, and he tells them about it.

"It's understandable," Geri says as he pulls onto his street. His brow is furrowed in what looks like worry. "He could lose his job. You could be kicked out too, I don't know."

"I know," Leo whines, "just - I want - with him. You know? I think I really like him."

"Like, _like_ like?" Cesc asks, and Geri rolls his eyes almost violently.

"Leo, please do the honours," he says, and Leo reaches back and thumps Cesc on the back of the head.

"Ow! What the hell was at for?" Cesc groans.

"We're not in second grade anymore. And yes, I _"like_ like" him, you moron."

"My baby's in  _love,"_ Cesc says, reaching forward to pinch Leo's cheek. Leo bats his hand away and frowns.

"I am not," he says. Geri snorts.

"Convincing."

"Shut up, Ger, you're supposed to be on my side."

"He was on my side since he was born," Cesc says obnoxiously. Geri pulls quickly into his driveway and slams on the brake for good measure, making Cesc yelp and sit back in his seat.

" _Bienvenidos a casa,_ " he says, grinning. Cesc rolls his eyes.

Geri gets in the shower when they get back to his house ("Gerard," his mom calls, "you look like you rolled in mud. You're not five anymore,go take a bath, honey"). Cesc and Leo, used to this routine, go to wait in his room.

"You need to give me details," Cesc says. Leo raises his eyebrows.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Why woukd I be mad at you?"

"Because maybe I ruined a person's life."

"You didn't," Cesc soothes, "no one knows. And...were you serious? About liking him?"

"Yeah," Leo says, looking at the floor. He kicks a small football in the Spain national team colours. It rolls away too fast and he can't catch it again. "Yeah, I was."

"How long?"

"I can't tell."

"Why not?"

"It all blends together."

Cesc ruffles his hair. "He likes you, too."

"Don't say that," Leo mutters. His heart sinks because he knows he's getting his hopes up but he really wants to be liked, even to be loved, by the one person that matters to him in that way. He's almost desperate and he hates himself for it.

"It's true! He kissed you back, didn't he? Why would he do that if he didn't like you a little?"

"How should I know? Maybe he does this all the time, maybe it's, like, casual for him."

"You make him sound like a convict," Cesc laughs. "We both know he wouldn't risk his career like that for just anyone."

Just then, Geri comes in with just some sweatpants on, toweling his hair dry. "Are we talking about Leo's sexcapades?" He asks innocently, shutting his door. Leo rolls his eyes.

"You still never told us what it was like," Cesc says, and Leo feels something hot in the pit of his stomach.

"It was like..." He makes a vague gesture in the air until he finds the word. "Like electricity."

"How?" Geri asks, throwing his towel at Cesc just to annoy him. Cesc makes a whining noise and throws it back at Geri who catches it, grinning.

"It was...fast," Leo begins, slowly. "And...I don't even know how to describe it, I can only remember feelings."

"You can demonstrate on me, if you'd like," Geri offers, puckering his lips. Cesc and Leo tell him he's annoying at the same time, and Geri pouts for a while.

"So it was good?" Cesc asks, like a conclusion. Leo nods.

"So good."

"What about tomorrow?"

Leo sighs. "I don't know."

 

+

 

Things are weirdly normal after the first kiss. David does and doesn't like it, because this is how it should be but this isn't how he wants it to be. He calls on Leo as much as he calls on anyone else, and no one notices anything strange, not even Xavi, which surprises David because Xavi is all-knowing.

Leo acts like nothing even happened, which is one of the most frustrating things David's ever had to deal with. He can't exactly make out with Leo in the middle of class or shout  _why don't you want this like I do_ at the kid in the hallways, but. But it's annoying. Because he really likes Leo, a lot, more than is safe for himself, and he doesn't want things to be normal. He wants things to be right.

Being with Leo feels right. Looking at him and brushing his arm and smiling at him, having him smile back - those things feel right. And David wants it, rules be damned. He wants Leo, and he wants Leo to want him too.


	2. ii.

One day Leo steps into his room after school. He shuts the door behind him and walks straight over to David, who's sitting at his desk. He leans over the table and before David can say anything he's kissing him again, ten days after the first time, and David kisses back, hungry for more, and he didn't realise he missed Leo's mouth so much until now.

"Stop - stop," David breathes, "we have to talk about this."

Leo keeps kissing him. "I don't want to talk," he mutters. "I don't want to talk right now." 

They end up kissing a lot, after that, and David wonders how many people Leo's kissed like this, because he certainly has never kissed anyone the way he kisses Leo. He's never wanted anyone as much as he wants Leo.

It's like a ritual. School ends, Leo comes in, locks the door behind him, and they'll talk, and they'll end up with their hands in each other's hair, their lips pressed desperately together, and once Leo even undoes his tie and unbottons his shirt and leaves hickeys all down David's chest.

"I want to take you somewhere special," David tells him, about a month and a half into their - whatever it is.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to take you with me somewhere nice. Just us."

"Why?"

"Because I want to give you more than this," David says, gesturing around the classroom. "I want to go somewhere that we don't have to hide."

Leo thinks it over for a while. "Where would you take me?"

"Anywhere you want to go."

"What if I wanted to go to Neptune? I heard it rains diamonds."

"I'd take you there. Say the word and we're gone."

Leo puts his arms around David's neck, buries his face in David's shoulder and sighs. "I wish it was that easy," he says, his voice muffled. David laughs and wraps his arms around him.

"You're telling me."

Leo pulls back, smiling a little. "What did you have in mind?"

"There's this park I wanted to go to for a while," David begins, "it's like a maze made of hedges. You start at this platform, you can see the whole maze from there, then you go down these steps and you enter the maze, and try to find your way out. It's free on weekends, so I was thinking we could go..." He untucks Leo's shirt at the back, brings his hand under the fabric of the uniform to trace Leo's spine with his fingers. Leo smiles up at him, his arms around David's neck, fingers brushing against the hair at the back of his head.

"Sounds perfect," he says, "maybe we can get lost." David kisses his forehead. "When do you want to go?"

"This weekend?" David asks hopefully.

"I'll try," he says. David kisses him. "Mr Villa?"

"Yeah?"

Leo hesitates for a long time. "Nothing, nevermind."

"Why don't you ever call me David?"

"I don't know."

"Try it."

"No, it's wierd."

David laughs. "Come on, try it." He kisses Leo again, trails his lips down to his jaw. Leo makes a small noise in his throat as David moves to his neck and Leo tilts his head back so David can kiss him better. David sucks on the skin there, hard, and he whispers, "say my name, Leo, say it."

Leo seems incapable of speech at the moment, because all he does is pant for breath. David runs his hands down Leo's body, to his hips, and Leo pushes himself forward so he's pressed to David, and David feels him - hard - for the first time and - Leo -

He growls, low in his throat, and digs his fingers into Leo's hips, clutching his clothes. He shoves the boy against a wall and grinds down on him roughly, catching Leo's moans in his mouth, working his hips hard against Leo's. "Say my name," he says, and his voice comes our gravelly and low. "I want to hear you."

"David," Leo breathes out, "oh, David, fuck, you're so good," and David changes the angle, changes the speed and Leo lets out a shout. David kisses him again, softer, and slows down.

"Shh, Leo, shh, it's okay."

"Don't stop - sir, please, I'm -"

"You're gonna come?" David asks, his eyebrows rising. Leo looks at him shyly, blushes, nods.

"I'm really close."

"I want...would it be okay, I mean, if I...?" David's hand slides down Leo's front and Leo watches them, watches David reach his belt buckle, move his hand down lower to touch him. Leo leans his head back against the wall, eyes closed and mouth open, and he looks as dizzy with everything that's happening as David feels.

He feels the age difference then, feels the fifteen years between them, feels how wrong it is to be doing this to the boy but - he's there and his hands are there and he can't stop, and Leo doesn't want him to stop, and when David unbuckles his belt for him Leo is breathing hard. It makes David want him even more.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

David presses his forehead to Leo's and kisses him gently. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Leo says, smiling up at him. "You're...I'm sure."

His smile holds a dangerous amount of admiration and trust and maybe something else, something closer to what David so desperately wants from Leo, but he doesn't let himself see it. Instead he runs his hands through Leo's hair and kisses him again, softer than before, softer than ever. David can feel Leo practically melting under him and he smiles.

"I just want you to be comfortable."

"I am."

"If I ever do something that you don't like, or that you don't want to do, you have to tell me, okay? I don't want to hurt you." He frames Leo's face with his hands, kisses his forehead. 

"I will. You, too, sir. If I want to do something and you don't, just tell me."

David laughs a little. "Believe me," he says quietly, his voice a little deeper than usual, and he starts to unbutton Leo's pants for him. "When you're ready, just let me know - I'll want to do it."

"You make it sound like - nevermind," Leo says. He smiles quickly up at David, looks down at where David's hands are playing with his zipper.

David wants to ask about it but he doesn't. Instead, he unzips Leo's pants, reaches in and palms him over his boxers, and Leo shudders under him.

"Is that good?"

"It's so good," Leo sighs. David smiles and kisses him quickly. 

"Do you want me to touch you?"

Leo's breath catches in his throat, David can see it. He bends his head a little, kisses Leo's Adam's apple. "I want - yes," he chokes out, and he and David both inhale sharply when David wraps a hand around him.

David's surprised at how hard he is, how big in his palm. Leo thrusts up into his touch a little, moans loudly with his head tilted back against the wall. David kisses his throat.

"Please faster, please, I need it faster," he grinds out. David feels something hot like fire spread through his veins at the sound.

"Leo, shh, I promise I will, I'll give you everything you want, you just have to be quiet, okay?"

"Okay, yes, I'll do anything, just - please."

"Are you going to be quiet for me?"

"Anything," Leo whispers. He kisses David again, softer, one hand in his hair, the other on his chest. "I'll do anything for you." David thinks  _this is wrong_ and thinks  _I can't do this, I can't love him like he wants me to,_ and he ignores himself again.

David starts to jerk him off, feels precome sticky against his fingers. He uses it to slick Leo up a bit more and his movements become faster, one hand on Leo's cock, the other pressed against the wall behind Leo to keep his balance, almost trapping Leo between the wall and himself and that thought, when he looks down at the boy, that thought drives him crazy.

"Sir, I - I'm so close, I'm gonna - _oh,"_ Leo whispers, and the way Leo calls him  _sir_ , even now, while they're doing this makes David want to fuck him right here. It makes David want to pin him to the nearest hard surface and fuck him hard and hear him call David  _sir_  as he comes for him.

David drops to his knees in front of him, pulls his pants down a little and then he sees Leo, just Leo. He takes him into his mouth, works his tongue against the head and before he knows what's happening Leo's pulling on his hair in a way that David didn't know that he loved until now, and he's coming hard and fast and hot in David's mouth.

"My God," Leo whispers, catching his breath. "I've never - not like that. Never that hard. My God." He laughs, more to himself than anything. David tucks him back into his pants, re-zips and buttons and buckles everything for him, pushes his shirt up and presses soft little kisses to his stomach, to the skin just above the waistband of his pants.

"Come here," Leo mutters. David gets up and Leo kisses him, gentle and deep, tongue in his mouth and David realises with a jolt that Leo can taste himself there, and he moans into Leo's mouth. Leo smiles into the kiss. "Let me." He reaches for David's belt, starts to unbuckle it and -

There's a loud knock at the door, and they both jump away from each other as if they'd been electrocuted. Leo straightens David's tie for him, fixes his hair quickly, then smirks up at him as he swipes his thumb across the corner of David's lip.

"You missed a spot," Leo tells him, sucking at his thumb, and David doesn't have to let his mind wander very far to know what that was.

"You fucking tease."

"Go answer the door," Leo says casually, but his hands are shaking. He goes to the window and perches on the ledge while David unlocks and opens the door. It's Xavi, of course, because David has a theory that Xavi's favourite sport is making his life miserable.

"Hey, Villa." Xavi walks in, looking around. His brow furrows and David's stomach flips when he sees Leo. "Hi, Messi."

"Hi, Mr Hernandez."

"Everything okay?" He asks suspiciously. David wishes he'd stop asking questions.

"Everything's great," Leo says, almost laughing, "it's great, and you?"

David has to bite his lip behind Xavi's back to stop from laughing, himself. Thinking of what they were just doing, everything seems ridiculous. Xavi says, "fine, thanks," and turns to face David, who makes a straight face in record time.

"I just came to ask you if you have the marking scheme that I left you? The rubric? I need it for a project."

"Yeah, sure," David says easily, going over to his desk and rummaging for a while before pulling put a paper from one of his thousand binders. _"Monsieur,"_   he says, presenting it with a flourish. He hears Leo muffling a laugh and Xavi rolls his eyes, snatches the paper from him.

"Thanks," he says, shooting David a look like  _you're a moron_. David grins at him.

"Anything else, your majesty?"

"No, thank you, kind peasant. Stay out of trouble," Xavi tells him, and it sounds like he's joking but David knows he isn't. He smiles anyway.

"Since when do I ever get in trouble?"

"I'm not even gonna bother answering that," Xavi calls over his shoulder as he walks out. David goes and shuts the door, and when he turns around Leo is walking towards him, smirk on his face.

"Stay out of trouble," he repeats quietly, "I wonder what kind of trouble you might be getting into?" Leo pushes his chest gently, backs him up against the door, and as he kneels in front of David, David thinks he knows exactly what kind of trouble he's in.

And he wants it.

 

+

 

_You are now signed into AppChat. Choose a contact and begin AppChatting!_

Leo rolls his eyes every time he uses the stupid app. He'd only downloaded it because Cesc made him, since it was the only app that they could find that supported three-way texting and that the school hadn't found and blocked yet. Leo selects  _cescfab-ass_  and  _pique_geri_ and starts typing.

_leomessi: guys i think i made an oopsie yesterday_

_cescfab-ass: awww leo did u poop ur pants again_

_pique_geri: lmao i was just about to say that_

_leomessi: I WAS FUCKING SIX YEARS OLD_

_leomessi: ugh i hate u guys im not gonna tell u about my oopsie_

_pique_geri: aw dont be like that. can u tell me and not cesc?_

_cescfab-ass: NO_

_leomessi: im not telling either of u._

_cescfab-ass: why dont u go tell mr villa huh ;);););););););)_

_leomessi: bc sir already knows.._

_pique_geri: wtf BATHROOM CONGREGATION RIGHT NOW LIONEL_

_pique_geri: YOU BETTER BE THERE IN FIVE SECONDS OR I'LL KILL YOU_

_cescfab-ass: this better be good im in art rn_

_pique_geri: bathroom congregations dont take ur fav subjects into account now haul ur ass in there bye_

Leo sighs and locks his phone. He raises his hand and Mr Cruyff, the history teacher, looks at him, nods, and keeps talking - he was never one to stop in the middle of a thought. He was never one to stop talking, really. Leo sighs and puts his hand down, because he knows Mr Cruyff had seen him. 

He waits for seven minutes - he counted - before Mr Cruyff finally says, "...and General Franco and his men came here to Catalunya. What did they do? You'll find out after Mr Messi asks his question. Yes, Mr Messi?"

All heads turn to him, and people are laughing quietly, and he blushes a little. "Uh, nothing, sir. I just...I'm, uh, not feeling well. Could I go to the bathroom, please?"

Mr Cruyff looks vaguely disappointed that the question isn't about General Franco. "Sure, Messi. Take the hall pass."

"Yes, sir."

He takes the hall pass and walks as quickly as he can to the bathroom. Their mid-class bathroom meetings had been caused by the time, in their freshman year, that Cesc had actually come to Leo's classroom on the verge of tears and asked in a trembling voice if he could see Leo for a second. Leo had gone with him to the bathroom and texted Geri to come too, and Geri brought with him a piece of paper and a Sharpie. He wrote, "BATHROOM CONGREGATION - DO NOT ENTER" on the paper, stuck it to the door, and locked it. They'd sat on the floor and stroked Cesc's hair and held his hands until he told them that his parents were divorcing and he didn't know what to do, and they'd helped him.

Leo figures if anyone can help him out now, it's Cesc and Geri.

He gets to the bathroom - no sign this time - and he finds Geri checking the stalls and Cesc sitting on the floor next to a sink. "Fuckin' finally," Cesc mutters. Geri looks up.

"We're good." He closes the door to the last stall. "Care to explain?" He raises an eyebrow delicately and Leo notices, not for the first time, how blue his eyes are. Like he can see right through you, which he probably can when it comes to Leo.

Leo fidgets with the hall pass and sits down next to Cesc on the floor. Cesc takes his right hand and traces the lines on his palm.  _We're not going to judge you_.

"I think I messed up," he says quietly.

"Messed up how, _enano?"_   Geri asks. He sits on Leo's left, and Geri slumps down enough for him so that Leo can put his head on Geri's shoulder.

He doesn't know how else to say it, so he comes out with: "It's Villa, I sort of - sucked his dick."

"What?!" Cesc practically yells, dropping Leo's hand. He feels Geri burst out laughing next to him, which makes him feel a little better. Before they know it, they're all laughing uncontrollably, clutching themselves, eyes closed.

"How do you  _sort of_  suck someone's dick," Geri says, gasping for air. Leo pushes him.

"No, I did, I did. For real, though, guys, be serious." They all calm down a little, still smiling, but the smile fades pretty quickly from Leo's face. "Is it wrong?"

"No," Geri says slowly, but Cesc says, "yeah," and Leo knows he's right. He sighs.

"It was wrong of him to let you in the first place," Cesc says, frowning. "Not that I'm judging you or anything, Leo, you know that, but. Now there's gonna be this whole big thing between you two and it won't be normal."

"But I don't want it to be normal with us," Leo says, pushing his hair away from his face frustratedly. He should really get it cut, but - nah. "I want it to be - you know."

"Yeah."

"Leo, we're graduating next year," Geri says softly. "Can't you, I don't know, go out with him when we graduate?"

"I don't know, I don't know the rules for stuff like this. But I can't wait, I really can't...I really want him. And not just. You know."

"How was it?" Cesc asks excitedly. "Oh my God, Leo, did he - you know - for you, too?"

Leo blushes. "Yeah," he mutters, and Cesc shoves him into Geri, who shoves him as well.

"Damn. I wish I was you," Cesc laughs. "Was it good?"

Leo nods. Geri huffs out a breath. "How come Leo gets to suck dick and I don't?" He pouts. Cesc rolls his eyes.

"Because you're ugly and no one likes you, that's why."

"You little shit-"

"Oh shit, guys, there's two minutes to the bell," Leo says, checking his watch. They all stumble to their feet, shout "see you" at eachother, and run back to class. Leo gets to class fifteen seconds before the bell, grinning.

 

+

 

They go to that maze that Mr Villa -  _David,_  Leo thinks,  _his name is David_ \- mentioned, Laberint d'Horta. The entrance is free and they walk in, and Leo marvels at how tall the hedges are, how happy people are here, like it's cut off from the rest of the city. Then David takes his hand and Leo marvels at that. He smiles at David, and David gives his hand a little squeeze. "This okay?"

"This is perfect," Leo says. David looks genuinely happy and Leo tries not to get his hopes up, and he miserably fails.

They walk like that for a while, hand in hand, not really bothering to find their way out. They pass tourists with maps of the maze, which Leo thinks is completely against the point of this place but whatever. He catches snippets of conversation in Catalan, English, French, what sounds like German. People smile at him and he smiles back and he doesn't have to force it, doesn't even have to try. Maybe he's been smiling for this whole time and he didn't notice.

They hit dead ends and unexpected turns and they just follow the path, walking slowly. Once, David pulls him to a side and kisses him, right there in the open, and it feels so normal and so new and Leo wants it, wants this with David, wants to be his. He breaks the kiss and stares up at the sky and he stops thinking, just feels.

 

+

 

David takes him down Las Ramblas later. Leo's been here before but not often, and he loves the street performers and the buildings lining the road and he loves loves loves.

The thing he loves most of all is David pressed to his side, hand locked in his, and the anonymity of the crowd. Here in the throbbing heart of Barcelona they are just two more people. They're not doing anything wrong by holding hands like this, they're not constantly being watched, they don't have to rush. It's a new freedom and Leo wants to stay in this moment forever.

They turn into La Boqueria and David buys them drinks from the place that makes them in front of you from the freshest fruit Leo's ever seen. Leo doesn't know what to choose, and he doesn't really mind, so he gets the same thing as David. It turns out to be something that tastes like pineapple and lime and mint all put together and it's so good that Leo says, "I want to drown in this."

David laughs and smile lines fan out far from his eyes. "The best way to die," he says, knocking their cups together.

David finds them a table on Las Ramblas and they sit, people-watching, for a while. Leo sips his juice and doesn't think about anything. Then David says, "what is this?"

"I don't know, you ordered it, remember? It tastes like pineapples, though."

David laughs for a long time and Leo doesn't get it but he laughs, too, because David's laugh is contagious. "No," David mumbles. "No, no, I meant what is..." He reaches across the table and takes Leo's hand. "This."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I don't know, David. What do you want it to be?"

"Why am I always the one making important decisions?" David jokes. "What drinks to buy, whether you're my boyfriend or not..."

"You want me to be - you want to be my boyfriend?" Leo chokes out. David half-smiles at him.

"I don't know," he says sadly. Leo doesn't know what he feels, not disappointed exactly, just - he sighs.

"This is unfair," he mutters. David furrows his brow and he continues. "I don't mean you, no. I mean this whole...whatever it is. That we're not allowed to be whatever we are. If I were older..."

"Things would be different." He lets go of Leo's hand. "Things would be easier."

"I know."

"I should stop seeing you," he begins. Leo's heart plummets and David doesn't even look at him, looks away into the crowds of people. "I should, but - fuck, I don't want to stop." Leo looks out into the steady stream of people, too.

"Me neither. I don't think I can." He pauses for a while, then asks, "hey David?"

"Hmm?"

"Why me?"

David turns back to him and Leo does, too, because he's been waiting for the answer for a while now, ever since the first kiss. David looks confused. "What?"

"Why did you pick me, out of everyone?"

"I didn't pick you, Leo, it just sort of...happened." He smiles, shakes his head. "God, this is gonna sound so bad, like a cheesy soap opera, but I just..." He raises his hand, drops it down onto the table. "Fell for you."

Leo smiles, hides it behind his cup. "But there had to be a reason," he presses. "I'm not going for compliments here, you know that." David nods. "It's just that no one really notices me, honestly. Or they'll notice me, but only because I'm with Cesc and Geri." Leo laughs, shaking his head.

"They draw quite a bit of attention," David agrees, laughing too. Leo nods.

"I know. But they're not in my class with you. So how did you notice me?"

"You're smart," David says. "Not just in math, I mean. You're clever. I hear the things you say to Silva," David says, and Leo laughs out loud. Usually, he's just making sarcastic remarks about different things that happen, but he didn't know anyone listened. "You're quiet but you're strong, you know? You have something about you, not mystery exactly, but something that pulls certain people to you, makes them want to know more." David smiles across the table, draws a line in the water droplets on the outside of his cup. "I wanted to know more."

Leo doesn't know what to say, doesn't know how to react to all that at once, so he says, "I barely know a thing about you."

David laughs and thinks for a while. "I'm from Asturias," he says, "from Tuilla. I have a sister. I've known Xavi - Mr Hernandez to you - since I was sixteen, and yes, he's always been this much of a pain in the ass." Leo bursts out laughing, thinks of what Cesc would say to that. David grins at him and continues. "My favourite colour is red. I like sushi a lot. If I could marry any food, it would probably be ice cream."

"Wow," Leo says, clapping for him. "Quite the monologue, thank you. But I sort of disagree with you on the ice cream thing."

"Are you insane?"

"Probably."

David smiles. "Fine, what food would you marry?"

"Dulce de leche," Leo says, "it's like Argentine caramel. My mom makes it really well."

"You'll have to bring me some," David suggests. "Probably doesn't beat ice cream, though."

"It actually really does."

David shakes his head. Leo looks at his watch and it's already almost six. "I told my parents I'd be home soon," he says, disappointed.

"Then we should get you home, shouldn't we?"

"I don't want to go back, though. I want to stay with you."

David smiles gently at him. "Do you think you can?" He asks, expectant.

"How do you mean?"

"Spend the night?" Leo raises his eyebrows and David backtracks quickly. "No, no, I didn't mean...have sex, or anything. Just, you know, I could take you back to my place, so...so you don't have to leave. So I don't have to be away from you." He reaches across the table and runs the back pf his fingers across Leo's cheek.

Leo thinks it over. He hates lying to his parents, but he can't see any other way around it, really. He can just imagine the conversation now, if he tried telling the truth.  _Hi, mom? Yeah, could I sleep over at my teacher's house? You know, because I think I love him and he says we won't have sex so don't worry. Yes? Okay? Great, love you._  He almost laughs at how stupid it sounds in his head. He agrees to it anyway.

"Could you give me a second? I just have to..." He trails off, waving his cell phone. David nods.

He calls Geri first. "At your service," Geri says when he picks up the phone.

"You better be." Leo explains the situation, tells him he's going to tell his mom that he's sleeping over at Geri's, and asks if he can cover for him if his mom calls.

"Sure, little brother," Geri says. Leo rolls his eyes - they're literally the same age, but whatever. "Anything for love."

"I'm going to strangle you."

"Be careful, okay? Don't - I dunno. Just be careful."

"I will," Leo says, "I know what I'm doing, Ger."

"I know," Geri says gently, "it's just everything's happening really fast and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, man. I know. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Call me tomorrow?"

"I will."

"Tell me how good he is at fucking you," Geri says, and he laughs and hangs up before Leo can utter another death threat. He rolls his eyes.

He calls his mom and winces as he lies, and winces even harder when she agrees to it without a problem. She asks if he has clothes to sleep in and a toothbrush and things that only moms care about. He assures her that he'll be fine.

"Don't forget to say hi to his parents for me, okay?"

"Okay, mom, okay. I love you."

"I love you too, _mi hijo._ Goodnight."

"Night, mom." He finally hangs up, goes back to the table, smiling.

"I can stay."

"Really?"

"Yeah." 

David gets up and stretches a little. "Do you want to go now?"

"Sure," he says. "We can take our time walking, though, I like it here."

"Okay, good," David says. He walks over to Leo's side of the table and kisses him quickly on the forehead. As he pulls back, Leo catches his chin with his fingers and guides him down, kisses him on the lips, breathes him in. "Let's go," David tells him quietly, and he takes Leo's hand again and leads the way through the people in the setting sun.

 

+

 

They play football in David's backyard and Leo wins the match, scoring ten goals to David's seven. David shakes his head and Leo calls him old until David kisses him so thoroughly that he forgets how to talk for a few seconds afterwards.

They're both sweaty and gross so Leo asks to use the shower, and David doesn't want to freak Leo out or move too fast so David uses one bathroom and Leo uses the other. He'd brought his clothes with him, just a faded Sporting V-neck T-shirt and some plaid cotton bottoms. David walks up the stairs to his room, where he finds Leo standing with just a towel around his hips, biting his thumbnail.

"Is this room yours?" He asks quietly. David tells him yes and Leo blushes a little. "I, uh. Didn't exactly pack for a sleepover party."

David laughs. "You need pyjamas?"

"Sort of."

"Coming right up, sir," David says, and he walks over and pulls out a clean white T-shirt and some black pants for Leo. He puts them on the bed. "Do you like  _Lost_?" He asks.

"What, the show?"

"Yeah, I have it on DVD. We can watch it, if you want."

"Sure, yeah. I love  _Lost._ " David grins at him, tells Leo he'll be in the kitchen when he's done.

David goes to the kitchen to make popcorn and he leans on the counter while he waits for the microwave to beep. "What am I doing," he mutters to himself. He thinks back to what he told Xavi.  _He's just a kid. I'm not going to do anything. He's just a kid._  "Fuck," he breathes.

Just then, Leo walks in. "Nice choice of shirt, not possessive or anything," he says sarcastically, and David's confused.

"What do you mean?"

"It has your name on it," Leo laughs. He turns around and there it is, DAVID VILLA, with a big number seven underneath. David laughs because he hadn't even noticed, and he tells Leo so. "Sure," Leo says skeptically, shaking his head.

"It's true! I've had that thing since I was in high school." Leo looks down at the shirt.

"Looks better on me," he jokes, grinning. David rolls his eyes.

"It definitely does," he admits. Leo shakes his head and reaches across him to open the microwave. David presses a kiss to his damp hair.

They sit on the couch together and David holds the popcorn while Leo curls up next to him with a throw blanket covering him, head in David's lap. Leo starts falling asleep about four or five episodes in, so David watches until the end of it before he pauses the DVD. He bends to kiss Leo's forehead, and he reaches forward and puts the empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

"Leo," he says softly. He brushes Leo's hair away from his face gently, kisses him on the cheek. "Leo?"

"Hmm?"

"You fell asleep."

"I did? At what part?" His words slur and David laughs a little.

"They were trying to find out who burned the raft."

"Oh, okay. I've watched that one. It was the kid, right? You can never trust kids," Leo mumbles, and David laughs even louder.

"Right. It's two in the morning. You need to go to bed, kid."

Leo sits up and shoots him a look. "You don't think of me like a kid, do you?" He asks, and he sounds a lot more awake now.

Leo is a kid. He's just a kid and he looks especially like one now, with his long hair all tousled and his eyes tired and wearing David's clothes. But Leo has something adult about him, something grown up, so David doesn't know what to think. He settles for, "sometimes I do," and Leo frowns.

"Alright," he says. He sounds like he understands. "Bed?"

"Bed."

"Are you coming?"

"Right behind you," David says. Leo gets up and David follows him, puts his hands on his shoulders.

Leo crawls into bed when they get there, chooses the side that David usually sleeps on but he lets Leo have it. Leo waits for David to pull the covers over himself to cuddle up close to him. He puts his head on David's chest, touches David's calf with his foot.

"Is this okay? Or are you one of those people who doesn't like to sleep with people touching them?"

"No, no," David laughs, "this is great. Perfect." He kisses the top of Leo's head, tangles his hand in his hair. "I love this."

"Dont - don't say that unless you mean it."

"I do. I really love this."

"Do you...nevermind."

"You keep cutting yourself off lately," David notices, frowning. "Just tell me what you were gonna say."

"It's not...not important," Leo mumbles, shifting a little closer.

"Everything you think is important," David points out. "I'm not sleeping until you ask me."

"It's nothing, I was just gonna ask - you said you loved this, here with me - so do you...love me, too? Or is it, I don't know." He goes quiet for a while. "I don't know. Forget it."

"No, it's just..." He sighs. "That's a big question."

"It's simple," Leo argues. "If you have to think about it, then you don't love me. Not like I love you."

"Leo," David whispers. "Leo, sit up, look at me." Leo does as he's told, and David sits up too, and it's dark but they can see each other a little more clearly because of the streetlight outside of David' house. David puts a hand on either side of Leo's jaw, kisses him slowly. "Look," he says, "I love you. In my heart, I know I do. But it's hard for me right now, and I know it is for you, too, but - this is hard. I don't know how to do this. I don't want to have you love me as much as I love you, and then hurt you somehow. I don't want to do that. I'm worried."

"I'm not leaving this, I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm gonna fight for this."

"Me too. I wish we didn't have to fight, but I'm going to fight my hardest."

"Thank you, David." Leo leans in and kisses him quickly. "Really."

"Thank you, too." Leo smiles. He puts his hand over David's, links their fingers together against his cheek.

"So you love me, huh?"

"So I love you."

Leo keeps smiling, kisses David's palm. He asks David, "what do you want this to be?"

"I want to be yours," David says, "and I want you to be mine. Call it whatever you want."

"Am I your - I mean, do you want to be - would you be considered my -"

"Boyfriend?" David finishes for him, and they're both laughing now, and David drops his hands from Leo's face. Leo holds both of David's hands in his.

"You're my boyfriend," Leo says, testing it out.

"So are you. You're my boyfriend, too."

"Wow," Leo whispers, laughing some more. "This is so weird but so not weird, you know?"

"That was poetic."

"Don't," Leo warns. He lays back down and David lays down with him. Leo puts his head over his chest again, David threads his fingers through Leo's hair again. He puts an arm around him.

"Goodnight, kid."

"Goodnight, old man."

David shakes his head, pulls lightly on Leo's hair. He feels Leo's smile against his chest. "I love you."

Leo kisses him over his shirt, the center of his chest, right over his heart. "I love you, too."

David falls asleep so fast that he wonders if it was all a dream in the first place.


	3. iii.

Leo wakes up with his face buried in the pillow, stretched out all over a bed that's twice the size of his. He sits up quickly and panics for a moment because he doesn't know where he is, how he got there - but then he remembers, and he relaxes. He looks to his side and David's not there.

He gets up slowly and his foot hits something on the ground that turns out to be his backpack. He vaguely remembers leaving it there because he'd went straight from school to the metro with David. He stretches and yawns, then he shuffles out of the bedroom to the kitchen.

The kitchen is bright, sunlinght streaming through the large window over the sink. The countertops are marble or granite, Leo can't tell. His eyes find the island in the centre of the kitchen with David sitting on one of the high stools there. David's facing him but looking down at a stack of papers. He has a glass of orange juice and an empty plate in front of him.

Leo crosses the kitchen to walk over to him and David looks up, raises his eyebrows and smiles. "Hey," he says, barely holding back a laugh.

"Hey yourself," Leo mumbles, smiling and taking a sip from the cup of juice. "What are you doing?"

"Just marking some stuff." David stops, looks away, laughs a little.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You," David says. He stands up and crosses over to Leo. "Your hair is all messed up, it's hilarious." David runs his fingers through his hair, pushes it away from his face so it looks more like a mullet than anything. David laughs and Leo fixes his hair as much as he can, blushing. "You looked like Argentine Thor for a second there, with your hair like that."

"That's because I am Argentine Thor."

"What's the difference between Argentine Thor and regular Thor?"

"Argentine Thor would be two feet tall," Leo jokes. "And he'd have a football instead of a hammer."

"Oh!" David half-gasps. "Speaking of Argentines, I forgot something. Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close them," David pleads, "c'mon, just do it."

"Fine." Leo closes his eyes and leans back against the counter. He can feel its coldness through the fabric of his shirt. He hears David rummaging around in what Leo guesses is a plastic bag, from all the noise he's making, and then he hears footsteps. He feels David's lips on his cheek.

"Open."

Leo opens his eyes and looks up at David, who's looking at him expectantly. Then he looks down to what David's holding, sees the little jar and he throws his head back and laughs.

"You went out and bought me dulce de leche?"

"Yeah," David says, grinning. "I went out while you were asleep. There's this store by my house, I never really noticed it. But I found some for you."

"I can't believe you did that," Leo says, still laughing. "Let me see. I'll let you know if it's real dulce de leche or not."

"I hope it meets your standards, your highness," David says sarcastically. Leo shoots him a look and snatches the jar from him.

"Shut up," he says as he places it on the counter. "Let me work in peace." He uncaps the jar and doesn't even bother with a spoon, just dips his finger into it. David laughs and calls him a kid again,  _niño,_  and Leo doesn't say anything, just smiles. The dulce de leche tastes really good, almost as good as his mom makes it, and he looks up as he's sucking it off his finger and David's watching him with a look in his eyes.

"How is it?" David asks, quieter than usual. Leo gets it, then.

"Why don't you come and find out?" He asks, and David pulls Leo closer, sucks at his lip, traces Leo's tongue with his own. Leo loves how David holds him, with his fingers splayed against Leo's cheek, thumb hooked at his jaw. He holds Leo in place and Leo likes it a lot.

"Amazing," David breathes when they break apart. "It's perfect. You know, this is my first time tasting it."

"You didn't properly taste it."

"That was enough," David mutters. He kisses Leo again, quickly on the mouth. "I want to taste that for the rest of my life."

"By all means," Leo whispers, and David leans in and brushes their noses together.

"I meant it, last night."

"I did, too."

"I want to show you." David runs his hands down Leo's sides, back up, holds his face firmly in his hands. "I want to show you how much you mean to me."

"You don't have to, David, seriously. I already know."

"You don't, you don't," David whispers, shaking his head. He presses his forehead right against Leo's, like he needs him to understand. "You'll never know how much, never. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

"I know," Leo insists, "I understand because I feel like that too, I swear I do. Believe me, David, please."

"I do," David says. He kisses Leo, hard, for a moment. "I believe you."

"Good."

 

+

 

Leo lets out a little gasp as he lands on his back on his bed, David on top of him. The bed is barely big enough for one of them, but all the better - their bodies are pressed closer this way. Leo's parents are out and he's home alone, so he'd called David (who, of course, had jumped at the occasion and rushed over). Now, with Leo under him, making all those soft, desperate, beautiful noises, David can barely control himself. He wants more but he isn't sure if Leo is ready. 

But Leo gives him all the right signs. David watches as Leo pulls his own shirt off, exposing his pale chest, and David bites his lip as Leo unbuttons David's shirt for him. "I love you," David whispers.

"Love you too, David."

Soon, they're both naked for the first time and David marvels at how gorgeous Leo is, kisses every inch of his body, moving slowly downward. He stops near Leo's stomach.

"Leo?" 

"Yeah?"

"Is this your first time?"

Leo blushes. "Yeah, it is."

"Are you sure you want to do this? I have absolutely no problem with stopping here." David kisses his hipbone and Leo pushes David's hair out of his eyes with the tips of his fingers.

"I'm sure. I want to be yours."

"You are, Leo, you're mine." David kisses up his stomach and his chest to his lips. "And I'm yours. For always."

"Really?"

"Really. You don't need to do anything to prove it."

"But I want to," Leo whispers. "I want this."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." David kisses his smile, kisses his neck and collarbones and chest, every single inch of skin that he can.

"I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

David reaches up and ruffles his hair. "Nervous?"

Leo breathes out a sigh. "Yeah, a little." He quirks a smile at David.

"Don't be. I'll take care of you, I promise."

"Does it...I mean, will it hurt? It probably hurts, doesn't it? That's the only thing I'm scared of."

"I don't know, everyone's different." David threads his fingers through Leo's and kisses the back of his hand. "It won't hurt if we take our time, though, and use lube, and just generally be careful."

"How does it hurt the least? In what...position, or whatever?" He blushes again and David laughs.

"I don't know, like I said, everyone's different. We'll try it one way, and if it hurts we can try it another way or we can stop, whatever you want."

"Come here," Leo mutters, and David climbs up and kisses him. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Nothing, and that's the way it's supposed to be."

They kiss and kiss and kiss. Soon Leo is moaning softly into David's mouth, and David moves down his body again, sucking at his neck, biting lightly at his nipple. Leo gasps and arches up, his head thrown back. David keeps moving down. He gets to Leo's hipbone, kisses it, moves down his thigh as he strokes him off. He sucks on the inside of his thigh hard enough to leave a mark. Leo gasps again and rocks his hips up into David's hand. "Are you ready?" 

"I think so, yes," Leo whispers. David picks up the small bottle of lotion next to him, pours some over his fingers. When he's sure he has his finger as slicked up as possible, he lays down between Leo's legs and just brushes his entrance with the tip of his finger. Leo gasps and moans, "please touch me there again, please, David, touch me. Fuck, again."

"You like that?" David traces him lightly, not putting any pressure, just rubbing him. Leo arches his back and spreads his legs wider. David feels a thrill go up his spine at the thought that no one's ever heard Leo like this, touched Leo like this, he's the first and he wants to be the only one. "You like it when I touch you like that?"

"I love it, fuck, I love it so much."

"Do you want me to do it now?" David looks up at him. He puts more lotion on his fingers just to make Leo feel safer.

"Yeah, I do." 

David circles his finger around the entrance again. He runs his free hand up Leo's abdomen, keeps it there. "Relax, okay? Don't worry. Just relax for me, that's it, just like that," he encourages gently, and he pushes the tip of his finger in, just to the first knuckle. Leo shivers.

"It's in?"

"So far so good, right?" David asks, smiling. Leo smiles, too.

"Right. Keep going."

"You want more?"

"Yeah," Leo whispers, and David goes as slowly as he can, speaking softly to Leo the whole time, until he has his whole finger inside him. The boy is so tight, so incredibly tight that David has no idea how he's going to do this without hurting him, but this seems fine for now. Leo writhes above him, twists and moans as David moves slowly in and out, gaining speed every once in a while. Leo asks for it harder and David gives him what he wants, crooks his finger inside him so that Leo shouts, bites his lip, curses under his breath.

"Fuck, David, another."

"Another what?"

"Another finger, it doesn't hurt, put another one in," Leo begs, and David pulls his hand away, lubes up again. When he pushes two fingers into Leo, he barely gets the tips in before Leo inhales sharply through gritted teeth. "Stop," he mumbles, and David freezes. "Stop, no, it hurts." David pulls out as slowly as possible, kisses the skin below his navel.

"It's okay, you've been so good."

"Can we try that again?"

David laughs. "So quickly? You sure?"

"Yeah. It didn't hurt because of you, don't worry. You've been good, too," Leo says quietly, smiling down at David. David's heart hurts with how much he loves him.

He pushes two fingers in again, as slowly as he can, slower than last time. Leo shifts above him, gets more comfortable. David keeps going, slow, slow, and he finally has them both in. He touches Leo, runs his hand up his sides, down the outside of his leg, kisses his thigh. "Are you okay?"

"This is better," Leo whispers, "this is so good, fuck."

David moves, slowly at first, and Leo moans loudly above him, and soon he's going faster and harder and Leo begs for him.

_"Oh_ , fuck, it doesn't hurt anymore, fuck me, please just fuck me-"

"You want it?"

"God, fuck yes."

"Jesus, Leo," David whispers, pulls his fingers out gently to lube himself up and put the condom on. When he looks back up, Leo has a hand wrapped around himself, eyes closed and head thrown back onto the pillow and David's stomach jumps, he feels the butterflies because Leo is his and he is Leo's and he doesn't ever want it to be any other way than this.

He gently pushes Leo's hand away, holds it instead. With his other hand he lines himself up, pushes against Leo's entrance but just barely. "I need you to relax again, okay? Don't be nervous, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"I'm trying not to be," Leo laughs. His expression softens a bit and he puts his fingertips to David's cheek."I know you won't."

"Good. If I do, you need to tell me right away."

"Okay. Thank you."

David kisses him slowly, deeply, and he doesn't need to say I love you because Leo understands. He keeps kissing him, kissing his cheek and his forehead and back to his lips, and he rubs up against his entrance and Leo thrusts himself up. "Please," he says, his voice absolutely wrecked. "That feels so good, fuck, please just fuck me, please-"

"Okay, okay, I'm gonna do it now, alright? Relax for me, that's it, good, just relax..." David pushes in, just the first little bit and Leo is so fucking  _tight_ , he can't believe it, he's so tight and hot around him. Leo gasps and David lets out a strangled moan, and they both can't breathe for a while, and David pushes in a little more. He stops every five seconds to ask Leo if he's okay and Leo says yes, he's fine, go deeper. David does, he goes all the way in, and he puts his hand flat against Leo's chest when he does. "Does it hurt?"

Leo bites his lip. "A little bit...but I want it, I want it so fucking bad, David..."

"You don't want to stop?"

"Never," Leo breathes, "never, fuck," and he rocks his hips up a little. "Fuck me, please, go, fuck me-"

"Shh, it's okay, I'll give you everything, you've been so good today, baby. You're doing so good." He leans down to suck on Leo's neck, pulls out a little, pushes back in. He can feel Leo's heartbeat racing and he keeps his movements steady and slow, which takes an incredible amount of self-control.

Finally, Leo says, "it doesn't hurt anymore, this is so good, David."

"It doesn't hurt at all?"

"No."

David pauses to kiss him, smiles down at his Leo, his boy. "Not at all?"

"Not at all."

"Are you sure?"

Leo rolls his eyes, pulls on David's hair a little. "Stop acting like I'm a kid. I'm  _sure."_

"I just want to take care of you," David mutters, nuzzling Leo's neck with his nose. He kisses him quickly before he starts moving again, and he goes faster, harder, gives Leo everything and Leo gives it back in equal measure. Leo touches him and kisses him so sweetly and carefully, traces his collarbone with his fingers, runs his hands down his spine. David loves this, loves being with Leo this way, and Leo feels so good, he makes such sweet noises under David.

David knows by the way Leo's voice breaks when he moans that he's getting close. He reaches down, jerks him off between their bodies, and Leo wraps his arms around David's neck and pulls him down, kisses him, and he's shaking all over.

"David," he says, over and over and David fucks him harder, makes sure the only thing he can manage is his name again and again until he comes all over David's hand and David comes with him, harder than he ever has.


	4. iv.

"I want you to meet my parents," Leo mumbles sleepily from where he's pressed to David's side one night.

He feels David tense up. "What?"

"My parents. Meet them."

"Leo, you realise that it wouldn't exactly be like meet-the-teacher night or anything, right? Your parents - they're gonna hate me."

Leo furrows his brow. "Why would they hate you?" He hears David laugh quietly in the dark.

"Leo, I'm almost twice your age. And I'm your teacher. And you're underage, too, you're barely at the legal drinking age yet. This is illegal on so many levels," he finishes, and Leo knows they probably shouldn't be laughing, but they both are. He buries his face in David's chest, makes a fist in the fabric of David's T-shirt.

"I don't care," he mutters. "I really, actually don't care about all that. I don't even notice the age difference, sometimes."

"I don't think about it, really," David says, a smile in his voice. "I dunno, I just don't worry about it when I'm with you."

"Me neither."

They're quiet for a while, then Leo says, "so will you meet them?"

"You're never going to be able to see me again, Leo. They're gonna get you transferred out."

Leo frowns. "They wouldn't do that. They wouldn't put you out of a job."

"You're their son. They'd do anything for you, especially if you were getting into trouble."

"But I _want_ this," Leo says quietly. David tightens his arms around him, holds him closer. "I want to stay awake with you until we can't open our eyes anymore and I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life and I want to be close to you all the time. I _want_ this. They'll understand."

"They won't," David tells him. He kisses the top of Leo's head. "They aren't going to understand, because what we're doing is wrong to everyone else, this is wrong, I shouldn't be - we shouldn't even be doing this. I'm not saying I have a problem with this, I'm just saying that everyone else does."

"David, just talk to them, please," Leo begs, "you're good at talking to people, just tell them - I don't know. You always know what to say. I just hate lying to them whenever I'm with you."

"I'm sorry I keep making you do that. Really, I am."

"Not your fault," Leo says through a yawn. "Just think about it, okay?" He settles his head more comfortably on David's chest.

"I'll think about it. Love you."

"Love you too."

 

+

 

"Stop moving around so much."

"I'm not!"

"You are, stop it."

"I hate you."

Leo leans in and kisses him quickly on the lips. "Let me fix this for you, it's not straight." He reaches for David's tie and straightens it. "You're not going for a job interview, you're meeting my mom and dad. Why do you even need a tie?"

"I like ties," David says, frowning. "I'm sure your parents like ties, too."

"I'm sure they love them," Leo says. He rolls his eyes, but he softens when he looks up at David. "You're gonna be fine, David. We'll be fine."

"I know, it's just..."

"Nervous?"

"I just don't want to lose you." He brushes Leo's hair out of his eyes and kisses his forehead. "That's all."

"You're never going to lose me."

"I'm stuck with you, huh?" David smiles softly down at him.

Leo puts a hand to his cheek and nods. "And I'm stuck with you."

David sighs and hugs him, hold him close. "We'll have it so good one day," he whispers. "Just wait. Me and you, we're gonna have it so good together." Leo doesn't say anything, just presses a kiss to his cheek. David continues, "we can live wherever we want, however we want, I'll have you close every day, I'll go to sleep with you and wake up with you every day. We'll cook and watch TV and go on trips together, always together. We won't have to fight for this. And one day we're gonna look back and you'll tell me, 'remember how nervous you were meeting my parents for the first time?'"

"And you'll say, 'yeah, I was scared shitless,'" Leo jokes.

David laughs and lets go of him, holds his hands instead. "I am not scared shitless."

"Whatever." He smiles because David is trying to look grumpy when in reality Leo can tell he really is nervous. "And then this will be something we can laugh at."

"I can't wait," David tells him quietly, his expression changing to something softer, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Leo's heart hurts, physically hurts because he loves David so much, loves hearing those things from David, loves loves loves. He can't think of anything to say so he kisses him, and David kisses him back and he understands. "Lets go, we're gonna be late."

"What if I burp during dinner? What if I set myself on fire by accident somehow? What if-"

"David, stop screwing around, let's go."

"Fine, fine, we're going."

 

+

 

Leo's stomach is flipping in the car on the way back to his house. Leo had told his parents that he had someone very important for them to meet, and that he was going to go get him. His mom had already assumed that it was a boyfriend, but Leo doesn't think that she would expect this.

They pull into Leo's driveway and David squeezes his hand. "We'll be fine, Leo, remember?"

Leo looks over at him and sees that David needs some support here, too. "We'll be fine."

David leans over and kisses him. "I love you."

"Shut up, let's go."

Leo walks him to his front door and smoothes his tie with slightly shaky hands. "Ready?"

"Let's do this." He reaches out and knocks on the door. Leo feels like puking when the doorknob turns.

"Leo, there you are," his mother says, a kind smile on her face. Her smile falters a little when she sees David. "But - who is this?"

"Mom," Leo starts nervously, taking a deep breath. "This is David, we're - we're together."

His mom furrows her brow at David. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She smiles at him. "You look familiar."

"Yes, you do, actually," David says calmly, and Leo admires him for being able to smile so easily. "I'm Leo's math teacher, I'm sure we've met before."

"Excuse me?"

"Mom-"

"Leo, is this a joke?"

"Mom, no-"

"What's going on?"

His father, always the calmer of the two, appears at the door. Leo wants to sink into the floor but he decides against it. "Nothing. Dad, this is David. We're seeing each other."

"Hi, David," his father says, reaching out to shake David's hand. "Come in." They walk in and David tells him the same thing he'd told his mother. His father hesitates for a minute before he says, "you're his teacher?"

"Yes."

"Will he, I don't know, get in trouble for all this?"

David winces, hesitates. "Maybe."

Leo's father looks them over. Leo always thought that his father could literally use X-ray vision and see through people right down to their souls, and he thinks that that's exactly what his dad is doing now. David looks at Leo and Leo looks back at him like _I'm sorry_. "Why don't we go sit somewhere?" His dad asks. "We can talk this all over, I'm sure."

 

+ 

 

A little while later David finds himself sitting in the living room, by himself. Leo's parents had asked to speak to Leo alone in the kitchen, but they might as well have been standing right in front of him because David can hear every word.

"It's not right, Jorge!" Leo's mom was saying to her husband. "It's not normal!"

"I don't get to decide who I love, mom, it just happens!" 

"And it couldn't have been anyone else?" David feels a sharp pain in his heart at her words. 

"I _just_ told you, no. And if you'd just talk to him, you'd realise—"

"No, I'm not talking to him! This is wrong, this is—"

"I love him!" Leo shouts, "I love him, and he loves me, and you won't get to decide this for me because it's my life, not yours."

"He's right, Celia," Leo's father says calmly. 

"Fine! Then you go out and talk to him and see what he says because apparently my opinion doesn't matter anymore."

"That's not it at all, Celia, and you know it." His mother is quiet and Jorge says, "I'll go out and talk to him. Come with me, Leo." 

David sits up and straightens his tie, his stomach flipping. Leo and his father reappear in the living room and Leo goes over to David and sits next to him, grabbing his hand. David's sort of amused that Leo's hands are as clammy as his.

"Is my son going to get in any sort of serious trouble?" Jorge asks, businesslike. "Police, expulsion, that sort of thing."

"I really don't know, sir." David sighs and runs a hand through his own hair. "He would get in trouble if anyone knew - we both would - but no one does."

"No one knows?"

"No, sir."

"And if you don't mind me asking, why are you risking your career for Leo?" David can't talk for a moment. It's as if there's something blocking his lungs and his throat and he can't even breathe.

He calms himself down, then says, "because I love your son more than anything." Leo's father's eyebrows rise on his head. He looks so strikingly like his son sitting next to him, which is probably why he's having such a hard time speaking. They have the same dark eyes, the same shape in all of their features. He clears his throat and continues. "I really need you to understand. I would never hurt him or - or do anything bad to him, or let anything bad happen to him. Never. I want to be good to him for the rest of my life. I would give anything for this. Please."

Leo's father thinks for a while, glances at the kitchen door. David follows his gaze and realises that Leo's mother is standing in the doorway and probably heard everything, which David is relieved about.

"obviously, as you both know, my wife is not very happy about this, but..."

"But?" Leo asks quietly after a long pause.

Jorge looks hard at David. "You're a good man. This must be very difficult for you. And we just want you to be careful. The last thing we want is for either of you to get hurt, or in any trouble."

"Thank you," David says quietly, and he can't believe it because - he has Leo, finally, properly, and Leo has him and - he can't believe it. He grins over at Leo, and Leo grins over at him, grips his hand even harder and he repeats it again. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

 


	5. v.

David tries to control himself around Leo, he really does, but he's so — Leo makes him — and he can't. He can't stop touching him and kissing him and Leo wants it, tells him he wants it, whispers encouragements to him even in places where they really shouldn't do something like that.

One day David locks the door of his classroom and fucks Leo bent over his desk, their pants pulled down to their ankles, shirts unbuttoned, pulling on Leo's hair and holding his hip hard with one hand. Leo cries out and David puts a hand over his mouth.

"Shh," he whispers, leaning over to speak in his ear. He takes his hand away from his mouth. "Leo, someone's going to hear."

"I don't give a fuck," Leo breathes out, "let them hear, let them. God, you feel so fucking good."

"Leo -" David cuts himself off, swears under his breath. "You drive me crazy." He leans over, runs his hands down Leo's arms, kisses the back of his neck. "You look amazing. You're perfect, you should see yourself."

"You like me like this?" He can hear the smirk in Leo's voice.

"I fucking love you like this," David says, panting. He leans over Leo, covering Leo's back with his chest, kissing his ear. "Seeing you like this, baby, it makes me so hard for you...makes me want you so bad..."

"Bet you love fucking me over your desk like this. Like I'm — yours — all yours, David, God, go harder -"

David listens, goes harder and faster and comes, biting the side of Leo's neck hard as he does. Leo turns around and kisses him after he pulls out, still hard in David's hand.

"You didn't?" He asks, and Leo shakes his head. David gets on his knees and he can feel Leo trembling above him. He tilts his head back with his mouth open in a silent moan as David takes him into his mouth. David loves the dark red bite on his pale neck, loves how easy he is to mark.

 

+

 

 "So," Geri says, pretending to do his work but actually doodling in the margin of his page. He lowers his voice a little. "Are you and Villa a thing now, or..?"

They're sitting in chemistry class. Mr Hernandez has already given them their review questions - the exam is coming up fast. They're supposed to be working on it now, but of course, with all three of them in one class, it's hard for Leo to concentrate. Plus, he hasn't filled them in on anything yet.

"Yeah," he says, smiling a little. Cesc punches him in the arm.

"Dude!" He says, half-laughing. "Since when?"

"I actually don't know. I mean, like, for a while, I guess. But it was only made  _official_ like two weeks ago."

"And what made it official?" Geri asks. He's drawing stick-figure versions of himself, Cesc and Leo. They're in a tree, for whatever reason.

"My parents found out."

_"What?"_

"Shut up, Cesc, stop yelling," Leo says, nervously glancing towards the front of the room. Mr Hernandez shoots them a look.

"Working, gentlemen?"

"Yes, sir," they all say at the same time. Mr Hernandez makes a  _hmmf_ sound through his nose.

Leo tells them all about David meeting his parents. "That's great, bro," Geri says encouragingly. "I can't believe your dad was that chill about it, though."

"Yeah, well, you know. My mom's the crazy one." He rolls his eyes. "I just wish she was okay with it, it sucks. But at least she knows now. And honestly...even if my parents weren't okay with it...I would still do it, you know? I would take the risk, 'cause...I really, y'know. Like him. A lot."

"Awww, baby," Cesc says in a sickeningly sweet voice. Leo wants to hit him. "You're in love!" Leo rolls his eyes but he nods. 

"Yeah, I am," he admits, laughing nervously. "Guys, I never asked you, though: what's your opinion on all this?"

"Honestly? I don't mind," Geri says. "He hasn't changed you or anything, and you're not doing anything bad. Plus, you're gonna be eighteen in a couple months, so...fuck it, y'know? I think it's great that you found someone you really like. And I bet the D is a huge bonus." Geri wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Leo laughs.

"It actually is," he says, and Geri high-fives him. "Cesc? Opinion?"

"It's your life," Cesc says. He pulls a container of noodles and three forks out of his bag and they all start eating. "I don't have anything against it. I think it's good, Leo. Like Geri said, it's always good to have someone to love. It's kind of weird, with the age difference and all, but I mean..." He trails off, chewing his food. When he swallows, he says, "If you're finding a way to make it work, then I'm all for it, man. You need to tell us about the D, though. Is it as bomb as I imagine it to be?"

"First of all," Leo says, twisting his fork around in the container of noodles, "stop fantasizing about my boyfriend's dick. Both of you. Second of all-"

"Ohhh, Leo's getting possessive-" Cesc says loudly, teasing him.

"I'm not getting possessive! It's a perfectly reasonable request-"

Mr Hernandez's voice cuts through their argument: "Fabregas!"

"Oh, fucking hell..."

Mr Hernandez storms over to their table. They don't even try to hide the food.

"I didn't know that the words 'chemistry class' were synonymous with 'open buffet'," he says, fuming.

"Actually, sir, if this was an open buffet, there would probably be more than just noodles-"

"Don't! Do not even go there! Get rid of it and get out, all of you!"

"But sir," Geri tries, "there's only ten minutes left in class-"

"Out!"

"We weren't doing a lab, it wasn't a hazard to have food out," Leo says. He thinks it's a pretty reasonable argument, but apparently it doesn't appear so to Mr Hernandez. If looks could kill, Mr Hernandez would probably be a serial killer by now.

"Get out! Now!"

"Yes, sir."

They leave but they don't get rid of the food. Instead they grab their bags, go outside and eat the rest of it, talking about Leo and about David and about why Cesc can't ever get any decent sex anywhere. It's a good day.


	6. vi.

He decides he has to tell Xavi, no more fucking around. He loves Xavi so much, they're best friends, and David would have told him earlier if he wasn't so scared of Xavi's reaction. He's scared to death of losing Xavi and he doesn't want to have to choose between Xavi and Leo.

But no more fucking around. It's exam time, the year is almost over and David doesn't want to keep it a secret for another year until Leo graduates. So he invites Xavi over for drinks at his place, because he really needs to get this over with.

"So," he says, after a while of just sitting and talking. "I know that you know about...about how I feel for Leo."

 _"Feel?"_ Xavi asks, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. He grabs a handful of nuts from a bowl on the table. "Shouldn't it be _felt?"_

David rolls his eyes. "It's still _feel_ , Xavi."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. He's seventeen, David-"

"He just turned eighteen about a month ago," David corrects him, and he already knows Xavi's reaction.

It goes pretty much as David thought it would: "Oh, well that's just fucking perfect then, isn't it. Congratulations."

"Why are you being such a dick? I really like him, why aren't you-"

"Why aren't I what? Why aren't I _happy_ for you? I'll tell you why - because we're not even allowed to add our students on fucking Facebook until they graduate, let alone fall in love with them."

"He's eighteen, I honestly don't see a problem-"

"You don't see a problem because you don't want to see one!" Xavi says loudly, and ouch, okay, that makes sense. "Because if there was a problem, you'd have to give up that little fantasy you have."

"It's not a fantasy," David says angrily. "We're together."

"What?"

"Leo and I. We're together."

Xavi stares at him, unblinking. David's always wondered how he can go for so long without even blinking once. It's unnerving. Finally, Xavi closes his eyes and runs his hand through his hair. "Please tell me you're lying to me and that I'm on a hidden camera show."

"I'm not lying, Xav. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise to me," Xavi says, "you should be apologising to yourself. You really fucked yourself over with this one, David."

"Xavi, you wouldn't - you're not going to..?" He can't even finish the sentence, because if Xavi tells - if Xavi goes and tells someone then there's no telling what could happen to David, or Leo, for that matter.

"What?" He's confused, but then he looks at David and he understands. "No, god, I wouldn't tell, that's your business. You're my friend above everything else. My best friend."

They look at each other in silence for a while, then David says, "he's a good person, you know."

"I know."

"Xavi, I love him."

Xavi stares at him. Stares through him would be a better description. "I know you do." He smiles a little. "At least I'm not teaching his section of chemistry next year, that's Andrés."

David smiles. "Thank god for Andrés."

"Does he love you?"

David frowns. "Andrés?"

Xavi rolls his eyes. "Does Leo love you."

"Yes," David says, without hesitation because he knows. "He loves me the exact same way I love him."

"Good. You deserve that, Guaje."

And neither of them are usually this sentimental but David walks over and hugs Xavi. It's partly because he hasn't in such a long time, and partly because he just loves and appreciates Xavi so much and he wants him to know that. Xavi hugs him back just as tight.

"Don't do anything stupid," Xavi says into David's shoulder.

"I won't."

"You're a dumbass."

"You too."

And that's how David knows that Xavi is kinda-sorta okay with this.

 

+

 

Leo's sitting in the grass, the sun warming his skin, watching David buy them Fanta from a vendor. He thinks David is so pretty like this, when he doesn't even mean to be. Leo loves his earrings and the way they glint in the afternoon sun.

They're in Ciudadela Park, right in the center of Barcelona. Leo used to come here all the time to kick a football around with his friends when he was a kid. He listens to the soft splash of the water playing from the huge, intricately carved fountain in the middle of the park. Everything here is familiar except for David, a new and beautiful part of his life. David smiles at him as he returns with their drinks.

"Here you go," David says, kissing Leo on the cheek.

"Thank you." Leo cracks open the can.

"Oh, by the way. I told Xavi."

"You did _what?"_ Leo's eyes water as he chokes on his Fanta.

David laughs. "What's the issue? I told him, he's my-"

"What's the _issue?_ He's gonna fail me now, probably! He already hates me," Leo says, putting his drink down carefully in the bright green grass.

"Oh, Leo, he doesn't hate you. He just hates your friends, that's all." Leo laughs at that. "And he's my best friend, I had to tell him. Didn't you tell Piqué and Fábregas?"

"Yeah, but Gerard and Cesc don't determine whether I pass or fail chemistry, so I decided they were safe to tell!"

David bursts out laughing. "You're not gonna fail chemistry! He's not going to drop your mark because of this, don't worry."

"I'm gonna study my ass off when I get home, I need to be able to do stoichiometry in my sleep..."

"You're such a drama queen. I'll tutor you, if you like."

"You know how to do stoich?" Leo asks.

"I forget how to do it, but I can re-teach myself."

Leo laughs. "Will you tutor me like last time?"

David smirks. "I know you would enjoy that."

And Leo would - he thinks back to the last time David had tried to help him with schoolwork. They were supposed to be doing physics but somehow Leo had ended up on his knees in front of David, shirt unbuttoned, tie loose, his hand down his pants as he'd sucked David off...

Leo blushes at the memory. David smiles and leans in to kiss him. Leo can taste the bubbles from David's drink on his tongue. "Love you," he whispers.

David kisses his forehead. "Love you, too."

"What did Mr Hernandez - I mean, Xavi, - what did he say?"

"He's more or less okay with it," David says, which kind of shocks Leo but in a good way.

"Okay. Good."

David leans in for another kiss, but just then Leo's phone rings. Leo feels David start to pull away and he thinks, _fuck it, they'll leave a voicemail if it's that important_ , and he pulls David close again to keep kissing him.

"Aren't you going to answer?" David whispers.

Leo shakes his head. "You're more important," he says. David smiles and kisses him again.

Leo loves kissing David, loves kissing him even more out in the open, where they don't have to hide their love from anyone. Leo doesn't know how this is going to play out, but right now he's perfectly content with just sitting here in the sunshine, with familiar noises all around him and new lips on his own, promising him unconditional love and care, knowing Leo promises that for him, too.

Leo thinks that when two people are in love like he and David are, not much matters besides the time they spend together. The moments that they share alone should be treasured and cherished. The biggest mistake anyone could ever make is to take the person that they love for granted. So Leo promises himself that he will keep loving David, that he will keep showing him how much he loves him, for the rest of his life. And he knows that David will, too.

David pulls him closer. Leo smiles and stops thinking, and the sun and the grass and David's lips on his are his epiphany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your kudos, feedback & comments are so hardcore appreciated, even if i dont have time or forget to reply. I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing! :)


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